Bid to halt closure of Fife Coastal Path section

Plans to close Kingsbarns Golf Links, part of the Fife Coastal Path, the car park at Kingsbarns Beach and its access road, during the Ricoh British Women’s Open will open to consultation within days.

IMG(UK) want to close the links and the path to the public between July 31 and August 7.

Scottish Government ministers have to agree the closure to the public access land because it is for more eight days – and the public have to be consulted.

But already there has been fierce opposition to IMG’s plans.

Crail Community Council bemoaned the potential lack of access at the height of the summer season, while Kingsbarns Community Council chairman Margaret Harkins, hoped that after a meeting with Fife Council and an IMG representative, that plans to close Back Stiles, the main access road to Kingsbarns Beach, had been abandoned. “When the golf course was developed there was a strict undertaking that access to the links should not be via this route,” she explained, “We pointed this out and IMG took our information away to reconsider their plans.”

Ross Hallett, Tournament Director IMG said: “I want to reassure local residents that we will work with them to ensure the success of the Championship and minimise the disruption to the local community. We will continue to work with Kingsbarns Golf Links, Fife Council and Kingsbarns residents to agree suitable and satisfactory measures.”